Suns fall to 'Birds in first-half finale

SALISBURY, Md. -- The Hagerstown Suns dropped their final game of the first half of the South Atlantic League season Sunday, losing 3-2 to the Delmarva Shorebirds.

The Suns (31-36) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Derek Norris' league-leading 14th home run. He also has a league-best 51 RBIs to go along with his .312 batting average.

Delmarva (36-33) came right back in the bottom of the first with a run on two hits against starting pitcher Paul Demny. Demny settled down after that and did not allow another run in his five innings of work.

The Suns took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Robby Jacobsen scored from third base on a wild pitch. But a double play and a strikeout ended the threat from the Suns, and Delmarva responded with two runs off reliever Drew Storen (0-1) in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead.

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Storen struck out the side in the sixth, but three consecutive two-out hits, including two doubles, gave Delmarva the lead for good.

Hagerstown threatened in the top of the ninth, but pinch-runner Chris Curran was thrown out at the plate on a double by Charlie Fermaint, and Fermaint was stranded at third.

Brendan Cooney recorded his 11th save of the season for Delmarva.

The Suns will start the second half of the season on Thursday with a five-game series at Lake County.